Chapter 33: Is It Wrong to Seek an Erotic Situation in a Dungeon? (2)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 33: Is It Wrong to Seek an Erotic Situation in a Dungeon? (2)
“A temporary license… You’ll be able to get one soon enough anyway. Is there a particular reason you want one issued right now?”
“I’d like to try entering a dungeon before then.”
Living this new life has made me realize something.
This body of mine isn’t something that can be fixed just by losing weight.
The very bones and muscles that make up this body are in pretty bad shape.
My growth was unbalanced, leading to severe asymmetry, and bad habits have thrown my pelvis—and my entire body, for that matter—out of alignment.
The Secret Art of Rapid Growth can’t fix a physical imbalance.
While imbalances developed over time can be corrected through conscious effort in daily life, congenital ones are a different story.
That’s why I plan on tearing it all down and starting over.
I’m going to gather my mana and use the Secret Art of Metamorphosis to sculpt it myself.
To create what I consider the most ideal physique.
“As a special admission student, I’ll be starting classes in the second semester, correct?”
“That is correct.”
“I heard the Magic Department could make accommodations for their classes, but that wouldn’t apply to everything else, would it?”
The excuse I’d prepared to get what I wanted was as plausible as I could make it.
Korea University’s Hunter Campus was known for emphasizing a practical, hands-on curriculum.
In other words, since I would be joining them in the second semester, I would have missed all the practical training they’d gone through in the first.
“Mr. Do-jin, are you saying you wish to make up for that lack of practical experience in advance?”
“Yes.”
Yoon Ji-an fell into thought for a moment after hearing my words.
“That is certainly a reasonable justification…”
When she finished her deliberation, her expression wasn’t bad.
In fact, the atmosphere even suggested she agreed with my reasoning.
“However, this isn’t a matter I can handle on my own authority. Could you give me a few days?”
“Of course.”
I nodded readily in response.
It was what I had expected.
She was, after all, just a liaison tasked with monitoring us and relaying our requests.
She wouldn’t have the authority to unilaterally issue something like a temporary license.
“The semester starts soon, so I hope it won’t take too long.”
“Understood.”
Just as we were wrapping up our conversation, the sushi set I had ordered arrived.
After a polite “Enjoy your meal,” I picked up a piece of sushi and popped it into my mouth. It was quite good.
I didn’t know about anything else, but I could tell the fish on top of the rice was incredibly fresh.
Eating something delicious made me think of the Ajumma.
I seemed to recall her saying she liked sushi during one of our chats while exercising.
My train of thought naturally drifted to the hot night I’d spent with her a month ago.
Back then, I was thrilled, thinking that since we’d gone all the way once, I could have sex with her whenever I wanted.
“Sigh.”
It was all just my delusion.
Forget sex, it had become difficult to even see her.
Even when things had gotten awkward between us, we’d kept up our dawn workouts, but after I started slacking on those, I could count on one hand the number of times I’d seen her face in the past month.
I was sure she wasn’t angry.
The last note she left me, and the look on her face the few times we passed each other, told me that much.
My personal guess was that she was embarrassed.
She might be struggling to accept the way she’d acted during sex, like a bitch in heat.
Until now, I’d left her alone, thinking she needed time.
But maybe it was time I tried talking to her.
There’s a reason they say, “out of sight, out of mind.”
The time had come to close the distance between us again before she got used to it.
This sushi seemed like it would be an excellent way to break the ice.
As I organized my not-so-brief thoughts and looked up, I saw Yoon Ji-an watching me with an anxious expression.
“…Why are you looking at me like that?”
“Ah, well… you looked so grim, I was worried the sushi wasn’t to your liking…”
“Oh, no, it’s not that. I was just lost in thought for a moment.”
“That’s a relief, then.”
The conversation ended there.
It was obvious Yoon Ji-an was the type who detested useless small talk, and while I wasn’t quite that extreme, I wasn’t the type to cling to someone and chatter on, either. It was a natural conclusion.
After we finished our meal, I got two sets of sushi to go.
She offered to pay for them as well, but I politely declined.
It was a gift for the Ajumma; I didn’t want to give her something bought with someone else’s money.
“Well then, I’ll be counting on you.”
“Yes, I will speak to my superiors about it.”
After a light nod, we parted ways, and I headed home.
I bounded up the stairs, which no longer left me breathless no matter how many times I climbed them, and arrived at the Ajumma’s front door.
My hand reached for the doorbell, but I stopped it, took a moment to straighten my clothes, and then reached out again.
Ding-dong.
“Yes, coming!”
The Ajumma’s voice, which I hadn’t heard in a long time.
Her footsteps sounded vivid to my newly sensitive ears.
Finally, the door opened.
“Who… oh, it’s you, Do-jin…”
The Ajumma wore a peculiar expression.
How was I supposed to describe it?
Even I, who was quite adept at reading people’s emotions, found her expression difficult to decipher.
“Wh-what… brings you here?”
One thing was certain: the Ajumma was extremely uncomfortable around me right now.
No, it was more than discomfort; her eyes seemed to be wary of me.
I didn’t know why, but seeing her like that completely drained my energy.
Was I too hasty in approaching her?
I lowered my head slightly and held out the shopping bag in my hand.
“I just came to give you this.”
“Oh my, is this… sushi?”
“I remembered you saying you liked sushi back when we used to exercise together.”
“You remembered that…?”
“I guess so.”
A part of me wished I hadn’t.
Ah, I felt so restless.
What was this feeling…? Like I’d been coldly rejected before I even got to confess?
It felt like every ounce of energy was being sucked out of my body.
All the pleasant thoughts that had been bubbling up in my head vanished, and I just wanted to go home and lie down.
“I bought plenty, so please share it with Yu-jeong. Well, I’ll be heading up, then…”
“W-wait, Do-jin…?”
I heard the Ajumma’s flustered voice as I turned my back and started up the stairs, but I ignored it.
My body might be young, but maybe my mind is old. Getting upset over something so small…
* * *
“Hey, are you going to focus?”
“Sorry…”
Today, too, I was diligently squeezing my muscles under the command and supervision of Shin Yu-jeong.
The reason my focus was particularly scattered today was because of the conversation I’d had with Yoon Ji-an about the temporary license.
To get straight to the point, they agreed to issue it.
But there were conditions.
First, whenever I entered a dungeon, a Hunter Association employee had to accompany me for protection and surveillance.
I figured I could just go with Yoon Ji-an, so that didn’t seem like it would be an issue.
Second, considering I was a mage, I had to recruit at least one frontliner to block enemy attacks and form a party.
This part was also understandable from their perspective.
Mages were versatile, but they weren’t a class that could do everything alone.
They truly shined when there was a reliable frontliner to block enemy attacks for them.
There was a saying among Hunters.
A mage’s casting time is directly proportional to a spell’s destructive power.
The saying came about because a single spell, prepared while a frontliner held the line, could produce dramatic results.
The Hunter Association offered to introduce me to a suitable frontliner if I wanted, but I refused.
The moment I heard I needed to find a frontliner, one person had already come to mind.
Shin Yu-jeong, the very person glaring at me right now.
After finishing our two-hour workout and showering, I casually brought it up to her on our way back.
“Hey, Yu-jeong.”
“What.”
“Would you be interested in going into a dungeon with me?”
“What? A dungeon?”
One of Shin Yu-jeong’s eyebrows shot up.
Her expression clearly said, What the hell are you talking about?
I explained the whole situation to her.
From the story about the temporary license to the condition that I needed to find a frontliner.
After hearing everything, Shin Yu-jeong began to look at me with a strange gaze.
“Wow… the Hunter Association must really value you, huh?”
Even I had to admit they seemed to value me quite a bit.
“You think so…?”
But there was no need to brag about it myself.
“Ahem, so what you’re saying is, you want to go with me. Even though the Association offered to recommend a frontliner, you refused.”
I could see the subtle expectation in her eyes.
“Yeah, it’s just more comfortable going with someone I know.”
The fact that she’d gotten into Korea University was a testament to her talent.
Moreover, I could tell just by watching her continue her own training in her spare time while teaching me.
I knew just how outstanding her physical abilities were.
Besides, she’s a girl, isn’t she?
Form a party with some grim-faced dude? No thanks, I was done with that.
“Hmmm… is that so.”
She was pretending to think it over, but I could see the corners of her lips twitching upwards.
She had probably already made up her mind but was just putting on an act.
“Well… if our schedules line up, I guess I could go with you.”
A roundabout way of accepting.
“I’ll talk to the Association and set it up for a time that works for you.”
“Whatever.”
Shin Yu-jeong turned her head away so I couldn’t see her subtle smile, while I smiled brightly without hiding it.
You have no idea.
You have no idea what I have in mind for when we go into that dungeon together.
Ah, I can’t wait for that day.